Shards of Spirit, Threads of Soul
by naraku-doll
Summary: Just a collection of individual drabbles and oneshots centered around Haku and Chihiro. Time frame and situation varies.
1. Doodles

Okay guys, this is the first fic I'm actually publishing. It's just a collection of drabbles. Time frame varies and they're not particularly related. PLEASE PLEASE review. More chapters coming. Thanks for reading!

**Doodles**

Young Chihiro sighed, startled out of her daze by the sharp bark of her Japanese Literature teacher. He hadn't particularly been shouting at her, rather at the class in general; still, it was enough to wake her from her reverie.

She turned her attention momentarily back to his lecture and the blackboard, and realized she was rather lost. Not that she really cared though. She never really cared much. She was not interested in the class; it was that simple. She wasn't interested in any class, really.

She was generally considered a failure at school; her grades were rather bad and she didn't exactly get along with any of the other children, though she didn't have any problems with them either. She was just always a loner, always dreaming. It worried her parents, and she felt a bit bad about it, for their sakes. But she just wasn't interested in school or her classmates, and there was nothing to be done about it.

Her gaze turned from the blackboard back to her notebook. She picked up her pencil and continued to scratch out a drawing on the paper. The page did not contain your average Literature homework.

Instead, a half-drawn dragon stared back up at her.

People wondered about it. It was always the same dragon, with white scales, a teal mane and bright green emerald eyes. She would draw it over and over. Sometimes, there were other creatures; a strange being that most closely resembled a radish, clothed frogs, a friendly-looking cross between a spider and a man. But mostly, there was the dragon.

In all her notebooks, really.


	2. Sunset

Chapter two! That was quick! Anyways, really hope you like it, please review, I really appreciate it since this is my first fic collection and I would like to know how to improve. Thanks for reading though!

Oh and, I obviously do not own Spirited Away. Duh.

**Sunset**

Chihiro gazed out into the purple, orange and pink twilight sky. The sunset was especially gorgeous this evening, she thought to herself. The rays of the now half-hidden sun were turning everything to gold, from the tips of the treetops, to the roofs of houses below hers, to the cars on the street; while the clouds seemed ablaze with their own liquid fire in the colors mentioned aforehand. At this moment, everything Chihiro could see looked as if it were enchanted, as if enveloped in some mystical haze, as if some fairy magic had been set free at last with the last rays of the dying sun.

Watching the sunset had become for Chihiro more of a ritual than a habit. Every evening without fail, she would watch the world transform as the sun painted it with its brilliant palette, in a last gesture of glory before night fell. And every evening, she would imagine that this briefly transformed world was indeed another world, so close and yet so far from her own. She would remember her friends from that other world. She would wonder what they were doing right now, possibly waking up to get ready for another night's worth of customers, or else they were already awake and getting busy for the long night of work.

She would dream, and imagine, and oh! How she longed to be with them, instead of in this dull world which was supposed to be her own, but was not where her heart lay; this world which only seemed magical when the sun set, before falling to night and then morning again. Each day, she would wait for the sunset, and each sunset, she would let her imagination take her to the world where she truly belonged, away with those she loved.

As she gazed out into the sunset, lost in her musings about her friends-who were rather more like family-, and her dreams about a dragon –who was a bit closer to her heart than just a friend-; she wondered, as always, if they remembered her, and if they ever dreamed of the young girl who had once wandered into the spirit world, but was a bit older now. It had been years since her journey, but she never forgot, and never would.

Little did she know, on the other side of the barrier between worlds, in that world which she loved- sat a dragon, also watching the sunset every evening, thinking about her, wishing and imagining she was still there.


	3. Cradlesnatcher

I must be on a roll today. Don't expect updates to continue happening at this speed xD (as in, 3 chapters in one day?) Lol.

So this is just a funny idea that came to me, it has absolutely no relation with the rest of drabbles here. Wooo, my little chappies seem to be getting a bit longer! Yay! I hope you enjoy it and please leave a review!

Obviously, I don't own Spirited Away. Duh.

**Cradlesnatcher**

Rumor had it Chihiro was seeing someone.

It was quite an event really, quite the juicy subject for gossiping tongues. Chihiro had never shown interest in _anyone_, much less dated; even though a fair number of boys had shown an interest in her over the years.

Of course, no one knew_ who _exactly it was that she was seeing. But that only made it all the more fun to speculate. Chihiro herself most certainly hadn't told anyone! She just left those imaginative minds to conjure up whatever erroneous theories they could on their own, without any factitious information of her own contribution.

She had been seen a couple of times with this mysterious man, though generally only from a distance. It was known that he was tall, pale, had dark hair, and a general preference for traditional Japanese clothing. Also - at least from what the general populace could tell, as no one had really gotten to see the man up close- he seemed quite handsome. It was also a definite fact that he was not from around town, as no one had ever seen him before. No one knew where he came from or where he lived; in fact no one knew anything about him.

In reality, the only times he was ever seen was when he was picking Chihiro up, usually in the evening or late afternoon. He would wait quite a distance away from anyone, until Chihiro went out to meet him –somehow she always knew exactly where to find him, even if he was not in plain sight- and they would walk off together to goodness knows where, and not be seen again by anyone until Chihiro went back home at night, unaccompanied by her stranger.

Among the many and differing rumors about Chihiro's mystery man, one of the more widespread and generally accepted ones was that he was quite a bit older than her. Impossible it is to say how or who started this rumor, but there it was, and almost everyone believed it. No one could prove or disprove it, as no one had spoken to him or seen his face close up. Probably they just liked the idea, as it just added to the excitement and intrigue of Chihiro's secretive love affair. Then again, the idea of a cradlesnatcher generally does have said effect.

Funny, really, how blind guesses by ignorant people can sometimes be so true to the mark.

Not one of the terrible gossips in Chihiro's town knew how very very right they were, or could even guess as to what extent. For Haku- who was, of course, the man in question-, was indeed much, _much _older than Chihiro.

Hehe, hope you liked this one, I for one thought it was fun! Thank you so much XSnowXPrincessX and Savvyzzzz for reviewing, you make my heart super happy! *3* *coughs* *gets slapped with a fish for failing so bad as to utter a Kailan quote*


	4. I could get used to this

Oh look! I'm alive! Sorry I haven't uploaded in so long guys… I was really busy and then I just… wasn't inspired. Sigh. Anyway, here's another little chappie, please review?

**I could get used to this**

Chihiro yawned contentedly, curled up on the sofa next to the warm fireplace. It was cold outside –as winter falls in the spirit world as well- but not inside. Chihiro languidly set down her book and gazed into the fire next to her, which crackled contentedly in the fireplace. The soft velvet of the sofa brushed against her skin, making her feel all the more luxurious. It was a beautiful piece of furniture, made of some dark, sturdy wood and covered in forest green velvet.

She slowly let her gaze wander around the room. It was a beautiful room, regal and plush yet not overpowering or excessively decorated; in fact whoever_ had _decorated it possessed quite good taste indeed. It was considerably large, and served at the same time as living room, bedroom and study. The floor was covered with a thick rug richly decorated with floral and water motifs. The large four-poster bed seemed to be made of the same wood as the sofa Chihiro was laying on, as was the large desk at the other end of the room. Apart from these pieces of furniture there was also a vanity near the door leading to the bathroom, and several bookshelves. The décor of the room was in fact a rather unusual mix of traditional Japanese structures and motives, and western luxury. Somehow the result was actually quite pleasant.

Chihiro let her eyes wander back to the fireplace, enjoying the feel of its warmth on her face. Haku, naturally, did not like it, but allowed it anyways as a concession to her.

She closed her eyes dreamily and laid her head back on the sofa, smiling.

"I could get used to this" she thought.

.

Haku entered the room. It had been a particularly busy day at the bathhouse, and the afternoon sun was already setting by the time he was able to retire. He was tired.

His eyes were greeted by a pleasant sight, as they fixed on the pretty woman lounging on the couch. By her steady breathing and the even rise and fall of her chest, he reasoned that she had fallen into a light sleep. The fire warming her was still quite alive, its light dancing on her face. All in all she looked the very picture of contentment.

Haku smirked in satisfaction, as he continued to stand there watching her for a while longer.

"I could get used to this".

.

**Ehhhhhhh…. I don't think this one was my best. Sentences didn't link like I wanted them to ¬_¬**

**Thank you Libby16 and ****Savvyzzzz**** for reviewing! I'm really glad you're liking these! Thanks to all who faved this story! =)**


	5. Barrier

Hey guys. I'm alive. Really! But life is terrible. Life and exams.

Oh and another thing guys, guess what? I bet you never expected this, but … reviews want to make me update more! YA RLY! BELIEVE IT! O_O

I won't lie and say that part of the reason I took so long to write a new chapter was because of my grand total of ONE review last chapter.

It kinda makes ya wonder why you're even writing this if no one's really reading it, ya know… ;)

**Barrier**

Haku shuddered. He stared out in front of him, into the long tunnel marking the entrance to the spirit world… and its exit. He fidgeted with his sleeve, tucked a strand of greenish- black hair behind his ear.

He swallowed, as he continued to stare out at the tunnel.

"_Ten years…. It's been ten years. Ten years of hard work and exertion, and now I finally have enough power to cross the barrier alone. Ten years of growing, of searching and fighting to gain this power. For this. For today. For what I'm about to do."_

But right now, staring into the tunnel, he felt his courage slipping.

"_It's been ten years…_ _ten years is such a long time… what if she doesn't remember me? What if she doesn't even remember coming here? What if she doesn't recognize me?_

… _What if she's found someone else?"_

This last thought drained his courage more than any of his other thoughts, any of his other worries. It felt like something cold slithering down his spine.

"_She's probably moved on. She's probably found a human boy, like her. Another person, of the same species. When I find her, what's to say she'll still want me? Ten years are such a long time in the life of a mortal…_

_And if she doesn't want me? Would I even be able to stand it?_

_Maybe I prefer not to know…"_

This thought brought a scowl to his face, and his brow furrowed in determination.

"_No! No no no! If you don't go now, what have you been fighting for these last ten years? Enough doubts! You're being silly! This is what you've wanted all this time, right? This is what's kept you going the last ten years, through thick and thin, right? Your goal, your final objective, the reason behind everything you've done since she left. To go back to her. Don't forget! After all this, you can't turn back! Why are you even _thinking_ about turning back, you coward!"_

"_That's right, that's what you are, a filthy coward! Too afraid to even go seek out what you've been working for all along!"_

He bit his lip, angry at his thoughts, angry at his doubts; mostly angry at himself.

"_You HAVE to go. You just HAVE to! How can you even be having second thoughts?"_

"… _You'll never know if you don't try. You have to go. You know that if you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your eternal life." _

"_Don't waste another second. Just go!"_

"_After all, you promised her, didn't you?"_

"_Forgive me Chihiro, I would have come earlier if I could."_

"… _She might still love you after all."_

Haku let out the air he hadn't realized he had been holding. He took another deep breath, clenched his teeth… and stepped forward.

**.^v^.**

I guess I'm pretty content with this one. Mostly. More or less. Whatever lD


	6. Found You

Okay, first of all, GOMENASAI MINNASAN! (as in I'M SORRY!) I'm sorry I made you all wait so long for this! But this summer I moved continents and started college, and I wanted to keep writing this then but my pen drive with my story files on it had a problem and I had to wait till I got back home to my old computer during Christmas break (so now).

And... EHRMEGEHR I can't believe I wrote something this loooonggg! It's scaaaaryyyyyy! I kind of have mixed feelings about it, and i'm sure I originally had a better ending in mind but I have long since forgotten what it was.

So without further ado, this chapter is the continuation of last chapter, _Barrier. _Please tell me what you think, review and stuff, 'kay? Writing this much was pretty intimidating (it's all of three pages, as opposed to about 400 words LOL).

**Found You**

He sensed her presence. He sensed her presence _nearby._

He knew he was getting close.

He zipped through the sky, enjoying the feeling of the cool night breeze on his scales. It was a beautiful, clear summer night, but the stars were mostly obscured by the lights of the small city. Even so, he decided the night was lovely.

And oh! How good it felt to finally be flying through this sky, after all those years. He had waited a decade for this. To be able to fly out into the human world, to finally be able to accomplish what he had been dreaming of for so long. He had no trouble maintaining his corporeal form anymore, for he was now powerful enough to spend long lengths of time in the human world without it affecting him significantly.

He was not worried about being seen in the nearly-starless skies. The city was mostly sleeping anyway, and even if someone did happen to look up, at the most they might see a passing shadow against the dark heavens. No one would think more of it, and discard him as a simple bird or airplane.

He could feel her. He followed his senses, twisting around buildings and down both wide and narrow streets. He let his instincts guide him; he knew he was getting closer, closer…

A tall building loomed up in front of him. He instantly knew that she was inside that building, he just had to locate where. As he drew closer, searching, searching, he knew his quest was coming to an end…

And then he sensed her: she was on the seventh floor, on the far side of the building, near a balcony. _Perfect_, he thought. A balcony was convenient to land on.

As he flew skywards, he felt his stomach knot up, and his insecurities returning. He forced himself to swallow them down (making the knot in his stomach all the worse) and continue upwards, concentrating on her presence. _Closer, closer, closer_… he had located the balcony now, and was swiftly approaching it.

He landed on it softly, and transformed back into a man. The door was open, the wind ruffling the curtains. And… he could see her inside. He breathed in sharply. It was her, it was _really _her. He had to convince himself. His first look at her after ten years… all he could do was stand there and stare. She had changed so much, of course. She was taller, her luscious hair longer (though- and his heart skipped a beat when he saw this- still bound in the same purple ponytail holder Zeniba had given her), her figure slim and her soft features more defined. She was a young woman now. And she was _beautiful_.

.

Chihiro was sitting in her small living room, in her small apartment, curled up on her sofa. She was reading a book, though she was beginning to doze off despite herself. Just as her eyes were beginning to fall shut again, she suddenly felt… something. She wasn't sure what it was. But it made her look up. To her balcony.

Her breath caught in her throat. She was frozen to the spot. Seconds passed. When she finally felt like she _might_ be able to move, she blinked. She somehow managed to rub her eyes.

"…H- Haku?" She whispered, barely able to find her voice.

He did not disappear.

"Haku" she said again. She could not believe her eyes. "Haku, is that really you?" She managed to choke out, her voice hardly audible. The world seemed to come to a standstill.

"Chihiro?" She heard him say, as he hesitantly stepped into the room.

"Haku! Haku! It really _is_ you!" And now she was up from the sofa, and running, running towards him. Tears were streaming down her face, but she didn't notice. She ran straight into his arms, into his waiting embrace. She couldn't believe this was happening. But the arms wrapped around her were most definitely real, the body she was holding certainly solid flesh. So she just stayed there, holding onto him, and letting her tears flow freely.

He had been hesitant. He had been afraid- no,_ terrified _more like it. The moment he had landed on her balcony, his original nervousness had seemed to increase exponentially with every passing second, mixed with the wonder of simply seeing her there, so grown up, so lovely; until he felt his emotions would consume him and so he just stood there, semi-catatonic. Then she looked up, and he felt like a deer trapped in headlights. What would her reaction be? Those next few seconds were undoubtedly the longest and most agonizing of his entire life, and would decide the fate of the rest of it. What would she do?

He heard her breathe his name, and he thought his overwrought nerves would just dissolve into puddles right there and then, his neurons would go with them and leave him permanently without brain functions.

Then she said his name again, and he heard her whispered question. "Chihiro?" he managed to breathe. _Does that mean it's okay?_ He thought. His brain was a scrambled mess, his nerves running on overdrive for way too long. After hesitating a moment, he slowly stepped into the room.

And the next thing he knew she was running towards him, tears in her eyes. And then he had his arms around her, and relief washed over him like rain in a summer storm. And so he held her, and continued to hold onto her, until seconds turned into minutes, as she wet his shirt with her tears.

"I knew you would come back for me…" He heard her whisper, still amidst sniffles, still with her face pressed to his shirt, still wrapped in his embrace. "I knew I could trust you… I _knew_ you wouldn't abandon me…" She said, and started to cry again, her tears a testimony of how much she had despaired despite his promise and her faith in him.

He brought up his hand to stroke her hair. "Shhh…" he whispered, kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry… I would have come sooner if I could have"

She continued to cry, and he continued to hold her, gently running his fingers through her oh so soft hair, and whispering quiet words of consolation, of "it's alright" and "I'm here now".

Finally, she looked up at him. "Haku… I can't believe it's really you…. Please, tell me you won't go away again, will you? Oh please, tell me you won't leave me again… you can't imagine what it's been like… all these years… all these years I've been waiting for you.. I never forgot about you, not once!" She managed to say between her sobs, and her words only served to break poor Haku's heart with the emotion, despair and meaning hidden behind them, the longing buried beneath all those years.

"Neither have I, Chihiro, neither have I", he said after a pause, in which the girl continued to sob silently against his chest. "And no, I am not leaving anywhere without you, now that I have finally found you again. Come back home Chihiro. Stay with me" he whispered.

Chihiro's eyes shot up to look at him "... Really?" she questioned, her voice barely above a gasp. Haku nodded. "Oh, Haku..." she breathed, her eyes shining and a brilliant smile lighting up her face through the remains of her tears. And that was answer enough. Nothing more needed to be said as they remained motionless, simply staring into each other's eyes, each brimming with joy at their long awaited reunion.

"I'm sorry I made you wait so long".


	7. Night Dragons

So... I realized I have had this last chapter kicking around on my hard drive for like the past 3 years and haven't published it. So sorry people! This will, for now, be the end of this fic. I am a college student now, and my muse has kind of been gone for years (haha). So hope you enjoy this final installment, unless I randomly become inspired again (which at this point isn't entirely likely), I must say cheers and thanks for reading!

**Night Dragons**

"Papa, papa!" The little girl in her nightdress ran headlong into her parent's bedroom, her unbrushed hair streaming out behind her, and a frightened look on her small face.

"What is it, Suiren? Why are you awake?" Asked her father groggily, lifting his head from the pillow, and turning on the lights with a wave of his hand. He squinted, eyes adjusting to the suddenly bright light that inundated the room. It had been a long day for him, and he had fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow earlier that night. He looked down at his young daughter, standing shy and afraid in the middle of the room.

"I… I had a bad dream" stuttered the child, her lower lip quivering slightly. She looked up at her father, who patted the space on the bed next to him. She quickly ran over, and scrambled up onto the tall bed, crawling over the large expanse to her father and curling up next to him.

He put his arm around the girl, who happily snuggled in closer to him. "Now, what was your bad dream about?" He asked her, once she had settled down comfortably. Usually, it was his wife that dealt with this, but she was currently away visiting relatives. It wasn't exactly his strongpoint, but he would do his best to comfort his frightened child nonetheless.

"It was… a scary dragon" she mumbled. He immediately stiffened, his brow furrowing and a frown appearing on his handsome face. If his child was afraid of dragons, that was _not amusing._

"A _dragon_?" He asked, perplexed.

"Yes…. Oh! But it wasn't a _nice_ dragon like you daddy!" She said, looking up earnestly at her father. "It was a _scary_ dragon. A mean one! It was big and ugly and had big claws and breathed fire and wanted to lock me up in a tower and eat me! I was really scared!" She exclaimed, cringing at the memory.

"But Suiren, you know dragons don't lock up little girls to eat them! Where did you get a silly idea like that?"

"Hmm…I don't know… Wait! I think… it was in a book from Grandma."

_Oh._

He was going to have to speak to his wife about that.

On the rare occasion that Chihiro returned to the human world to visit her family for a short while, or on the even_ rarer_ occasion that the whole family went, his in-laws (with whom he understandably did not get along very well) usually had gifts for their little granddaughter. Looks like he's going to have to go through the books they send.

"Suiren… you know dragons aren't really like that. Those dragons are just pretend, they're only in stories." –_Bad_ stories, he thought to himself. Bad_ western_ stories. - "Don't you think it's silly to be afraid of dragons when you're half dragon yourself?

"Uh-huh" The girl nodded sleepily, not really listening anymore. Her eyelids were already starting to droop again, wrapped up safely as she was in her father's warm embrace. Nothing would be able to_ get_ her here; here she was protected from any monster or bad dream that might possibly try to harm her. Because daddy is _safe, _and nothing is able to get past him.

Haku looked tenderly down at his drowsy daughter, her closing eyes not escaping him. He let her stay there, until her soft breathing evened out and he knew she was asleep. Quietly, gently, he picked her up and carried her back to her bed.

"Sweet dreams little one. No more nightmares" he said, kissing her forehead.

Ps: Suiren means water lily :)


End file.
